Dilemma – ICD Implant/Marathon Event

[mandm65]

Hi Guys,

Just seeking your views on how best to address my dilemma.

As some of the regulars here know me /my conditions, if you like to know the history, feel free to click on the link below.

healthunlocked.com/bhf/post...

Last year I applied (put my name in the ballot) to run the Berlin marathon this year (September 2019). Fortunately, or unfortunately, my name came out of hat and I received the confirmation from the marathon organisers.

As some of you know that I had an unfortunate syncope event back in December 2018 and ended up spending 4 days at my local hospital and was rewarded a with a reveal device (RD). Up until Dec 2018, I had been running well, increasing my mileage slowly and from July 2018 onwards averaging around 70 Miles per month.

I saw my cardio team a few weeks back, we had long discussions around the subject and the conclusion was that the syncope event was caused (likely) by the Arrythmia hence they would be considering ICD implant.

I guess I always suspected that at some point I would need the ICD implant, now its kind of official so waiting for the news to arrive by post anytime soon.

While I wait for the confirmation, I am now in bit of pickle about my forthcoming marathon (6 months). I really don’t want to miss out on the Berlin marathon as some of you probably aware that how difficult it is to get selected for these big marathons.

I am keen to hear from those who managed to run a challenging event after the ICD implant. I do understand that it’s a personal thing, but it would be helpful to see what you guys managed to achieve and what sort of timeframe you allowed before participation?

Thanks in advance for your input.

[Alison_L]

Hi M. I'm slightly different in that I had my ICD fitted last July following a heart attack in June. I left hospital with instructions not to lift or put my left elbow above, or behind, my left shoulder, for 8 weeks. I believe this advice varies from 1 hospital to the next, and may be as short as 10 days in some, but there was no way I could have considered doing my annual 50 mile charity bike ride in September (which would have been 6 weeks after the implant), and in fact, it was probably 3 or 4 months before I even got back on the bike.

Not being able to put your elbow behind your back would mean you wouldn't be able to do any training, ie running, for that period of time, which would seriously hamper a marathon attempt.

Is there any way you can ask the organisers to defer your entry for a year? I know some UK races will. Not that I'd recommend doing this until nearer September, as you probably have no date yet for getting the ICD.

Good luck!

[mandm65 in reply to Alison_L]

Hi Alison,

Thanks for sharing your experience, really appreciate that. Yep I can understand why different hospital advice differently, probably based upon individual situation and their prior condition.

You are right If I was under that restriction where I couldn’t put my elbow behind my back then it would be impossible to do any running. Yes, I am aware of the option to differ my entry to next year but at this stage it all in the air so I will make the decision once the schedule becomes clearer. I am also contemplating that if the implant date comes close to the event then would it make sense to differ the implant appointment until after the marathon event!

I guess it has been almost 7 months since you had the implant so how are you doing with your bike training? How often do you train, and have you/or planning to register for your next charity bike run?